Andy Burnham will pledge to be “unashamedly Labour” when he takes over as Labour Party leader from Sir Keir Starmer on Friday.
The newly elected Makerfield MP will be confirmed at a special conference in London at around midday, just days before he is set to become prime minister.
In a bold speech outlining his vision for the country, he will also promise to undo Margaret Thatcher’s economic legacy, warning that “Britain took a series of wrong turns in the 1980s” when “political power was centralised and economic power privatised”.
Mr Burnham was confirmed as Labour’s next leader this week after he secured the backing of 349 Labour MPs and trade unions linked to the party.
However, he will have to wait until Sir Keir formally recommends him to the King as his successor on Monday before he is coronated as prime minister.
Meanwhile, speculation is mounting over who Mr Burnham will choose to appoint to his Cabinet. Sources suggest Shabana Mahmood could be his pick for chancellor, but he has so far remained tight-lipped over his plans.
Key Points
- Andy Burnham expected to be crowned as Labour leader on Friday
- Burnham to promise to undo Thatcher’s economic legacy in first speech as Labour leader
- Who could Burnham pick for his chancellor and cabinet?
- Shabana Mahmood expected to be named as Burnham’s chancellor
- From Sadiq Khan to Leveson: Sir Keir Starmer’s honours list in full
What can we expect today as Andy Burnham becomes Labour leader?
07:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneToday is the day - Andy Burnham will replace Sir Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party.
The former Greater Manchester mayor secured the backing of 349 Labour MPs earlier this week, meaning it is impossible for any other candidate to gain the 81 endorsements needed to challenge for the Labour leadership.
The TSSA transport union, Aslef, Community, GMB, Unison, Fire Brigades Union, Unite and shopworkers’ union Usdaw have also endorsed him.
That means that a smooth transfer of power is expected during a special Labour conference in London at around midday.
In his inaugural speech he is expected to lay out an argument for his policies, which he says will be “unashamedly Labour”.
It will be the biggest day of the Makerfield MP’s political life until Monday, when he will be sworn in as prime minister.
When will Andy Burnham become prime minister?
06:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAndy Burnham is set to take over the Labour leadership on Friday - but will have to wait a few more days before he becomes prime minister.
Over the weekend, he will officially be Labour leader but Sir Keir Starmer will still technically lead the country.
He will then travel to Buckingham Palace on Monday and formally hand his resignation to the King, recommending Mr Burnham as his successor.
Mr Burnham will then be coronated as prime minister on Monday afternoon.
Watch: Reeves warns Burnham ‘governing is hard’ and he must have a plan
05:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAnalysis: Andy Burnham needs both Miliband brothers in his cabinet – but there is only room for one
04:00 , Nicole Wootton-CanePolitical editor David Maddox examines whether Andy Burnham will bring back one – or both – of the Miliband brothers, or whether history could repeat itself with one losing out on a top job at the expense of the other.
Burnham needs both Miliband brothers in his cabinet – but there is only room for one
Andy Burnham: I’m not afraid to disagree with Donald Trump
03:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAndy Burnham has said he won’t be afraid to disagree with American president Donald Trump, adding that he would try to “meet him where he’s at” while “respecting the office”.
The prime minister-in-waiting told Gary Lineker in an interview for Goalhanger: “Maybe in a similar way to the way I’ve just described, I’ll just meet him where he’s at. And, you know, I like to think I’ve got some personality myself and I’ll just, you know, I’ll deal with him very upfront in the same way. I think he likes people to deal with him.
“He described Manchester as some town when he was referring to my position. And I might have to, you know what Mancs are like, Gary, that won’t have gone down fantastically well in the city I used to represent.
“But yeah, you know, it’s about being yourself, isn’t it? It’s about respecting the office, the relationship, the UK-US relationship. But, you know, where you disagree, do it, but do it in a way that is kind of meeting him where he’s at.”
You can read more below:
Recap: Burnham unveils ‘No 10 North'
02:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneRecap: Tony Blair warns Andy Burnham ‘you are not going to be loved’ in leadership advice
01:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneSir Tony Blair has warned Andy Burnham over riding into No10 on a wave of popularity, saying he would have told himself “you may think you're going to be loved, but you're not going to be” after Labour’s 1997 landslide victory.
In a frank discussion with comedian Matt Forde at the Tony Blair Institute (TBI)’s summer drinks reception at the National Theatre in London, the former prime minister also said Mr Burnham needed to maintain a strong relationship with the US “whoever is president” because of the threat of an invasion to Europe from Russia.
And he warned Mr Burnham over continuing with energy secretary Ed Miliband’s net zero policies.
But arguably his biggest advice was “you are not going to be loved”.
You can read the full story below:
Blair warns Burnham: ‘You are not going to be loved’
Reform falsely claims Andy Burnham has not built any social housing in Manchester as mayor
Friday 17 July 2026 00:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneA Reform mayoral candidate has falsely claimed that Andy Burnham has not built any social housing in Manchester during his nine years as mayor.
Sian Astley, who is standing in the race to be the next Greater Manchester to replace Mr Burnham who resigned to stand as an MP, told the Reform UK podcast on 6 July 2026: “I think there are over 20,000 households on the Manchester housing register, and they haven't built social housing for decades".
Podcast host, Ray Addison, responded, saying: "Obviously, he's been mayor of Greater Manchester for 10 years. One might have thought he'd have made a bit more progress with that."
But official government figures, analysed by The Independent, show thousands of social and affordable homes have been built across the region during Mr Burnham's tenure.
You can read more below:
Reform falsely claims Burnham has not built any social housing in Manchester as mayor
Streeting decries 'crying in lift' rumour as 'bizarre speculation'
Thursday 16 July 2026 23:20 , Nicole Wootton-CaneWes Streeting has dismissed rumours he was spotted “crying in a lift” near Andy Burnham’s Parliamentary office as “bizarre speculation”.
Mr Streeting, who resigned as health secretary after he said he had lost faith in Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, wrote on X: Of all the bizarre speculation I’ve read in recent days, this is the best.
“I wasn’t even present, let alone involved
“Hope my doppelgänger is ok though.”
Of all the bizarre speculation I’ve read in recent days, this is the best.
— Wes Streeting (@wesstreeting) July 16, 2026
I wasn’t even present, let alone involved 🤷🏻♂️
Hope my doppelgänger is ok though. https://t.co/Y1HqJqLldf
Comment: Britain is ready for the ‘Burnham bounce’… but will Andy put the brakes on it?
Thursday 16 July 2026 23:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAn economy that’s back in growth, sterling at a two-year high against the dolllar… Andy Burnham looks set to inherit a UK primed for growth. What could possibly go wrong, asks James Moore.
Britain is ready for the ‘Burnham bounce’… but will Andy put the brakes on it?
Burnham 'faces left-wing revolt' if Mahmood made Chancellor
Thursday 16 July 2026 22:51 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAndy Burnham is reportedly facing a “revolt” from the left of his party if he goes ahead with rumoured plans to make Shabana Mahmood his Chancellor.
According to The Times, Ms Mahmood is an unpopular choice on the left due to her hardline immigration reforms.
She has never held an economic position in government and has said relatively little about her views on economic policy in the past.
Burnham meets voters in Cardiff
Thursday 16 July 2026 22:15 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAndy Burnham has shared a video of himself out and about in Cardiff meeting voters ahead of his coronation as prime minister.
In the clip, he discusses his plans for social care, council housing, defence, hospitality, and education.
When I said I was going to do politics differently, I meant it.
— Andy Burnham (@andyburnham) July 16, 2026
Yesterday I spent a couple of hours in Cardiff city centre inviting people to ask me anything about my plans for the UK. pic.twitter.com/AsPKTN0cTG
What are Andy Burnham’s options to tackle the rising cost of living?
Thursday 16 July 2026 22:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAndy Burnham is set to become Britain’s next prime minister on Monday, bringing with him a promise to make sweeping changes to the direction of the Labour government.
The former Manchester mayor has pledged to tackle the cost of living when he takes over, telling LBC earlier this month that the government needs to “be serious about putting more money back into people’s pockets.”
His comments come as the UK continues to grapple with rising costs for essentials like food and energy. Inflation held at 3 per cent in May in welcome news for households, but the situation in the Middle East has led to fears of more price shocks to come.
So what are Mr Burnham’s options to tackle the cost of living crisis? We take a look below:
What are Andy Burnham’s options to tackle the rising cost of living?
Burnham to promise to undo Thatcher’s economic legacy in first speech as Labour leader
Thursday 16 July 2026 21:44 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAndy Burnham will double down on his vow to unpick the economic settlement of Margaret Thatcher when he delivers his first speech as Labour leader on Friday.
The former mayor of Manchester will be confirmed as Sir Keir Starmer’s replacement unopposed at a special conference in London after he received nominations from almost all the MPs.
Addressing the party in his first speech as leader, Mr Burnham will make it clear that he wants to undo much of the Thatcherite economic settlement in the UK.
The new Labour leader will warn that “Britain took a series of wrong turns in the 1980s” when “political power was centralised and economic power privatised”.
To build an economy and a country that works for all people and places, Mr Burnham will say that it requires “a new path to the one we’ve been on for the last 40 years”.
You can read the full story from The Independent’s political editor David Maddox below:
Burnham to pledge to undo Thatcher’s economic legacy in first speech as Labour leader
‘King of the North’ Andy Burnham to become first PM for 50 years with seat in north-west England
Thursday 16 July 2026 21:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAndy Burnham will be the first prime minister for 50 years to represent a constituency in north-west England and only the third premier since 1900 to hold a seat in the region.
Mr Burnham became MP for Makerfield in Greater Manchester a few weeks ago, after winning a by-election on June 18.
He will be the first prime minister with a seat in the North West since Labour’s Harold Wilson, who was MP for Huyton in Merseyside throughout his two stints in Downing Street from 1964-70 and 1974-76.
You can read more below:
‘King of the North’ Burnham to become first PM for 50 years with seat in north-west
Burnham to set out vision to 'give back control' to communities in speech
Thursday 16 July 2026 21:08 , Nicole Wootton-CaneAndy Burnham is set to set out his plans to give communities “more control” over politics as he becomes Labour leader tomorrow.
The Makerfield MP will give the speech at a special conference in London days before he takes over from Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister.
He is expected to lay out a vision that builds on his promises for growth in every postcode and say his government can “lift Britain up” by putting people and places back at the heart of national decision-making. He will argue that “Britain took a series of wrong turns in the 1980s” when “political power was centralised and economic power privatised”.
Mr Burnham will also argue for a set of “distinctively Labour” economic reforms, including more public control, reindustrialisation and power back in the hands of local communities.
He will also pledge that the party, which has been wracked by infighting, will become more united, focused on practical solutions rather than internal division - and significantly, that it will be more open to working with other parties on the long-term challenges facing the country.
